Chapter 1686

The accident happened in an instant. Qi Yan's reaction was fast enough; he took a step and stood by his side, vaguely wanting to block him behind him.

It's just that Li Xuewu was closer to the waitress, and without further discovery of danger, he couldn't act excessively.

It's not that he trusts this waitress, but he has confidence in the leader's skills; ordinary people can't easily hurt him.

Yoshiko Oshima, whose identity had been exposed, stood there with her head down, trembling all over, her nerves stretched to the limit.

"It's okay, I didn't expect it to be the daughter of an old friend."

Li Xuewu handed the cup in his hand to Qi Yan, looked at Yoshiko Oshima, nodded slightly, and said: "If you have anything you want to ask, or anything you want to say, I can sacrifice a little rest time; please sit over here."

He didn't have the intention to ask for the other party's opinion, signaled to the sofa, and then went to the inner room, preparing to wash up and give the other party time to ease her tension.

Because he had already taken a bath before going to the meeting, he just washed his face, tidied up the fatigue of the day, and then returned to the living room.

The cup in Qi Yan's hand had been put down, but he was still staring at Yoshiko Oshima, who was standing there motionless; the two were vaguely in a confrontation.

"If you want to make a move, do it now," Li Xuewu glanced at her and said: "It saves me time."

This kind of contempt in his tone instantly diverted Yoshiko Oshima's attention. She raised her head to look at Li Xuewu, who walked to the sofa and sat down, her eyes full of exploration and thought.

"You said old friend... is...?"

"Do you want to ask his Japanese name or his Chinese name?" Li Xuewu said calmly: "It's this late, and I have to get up early tomorrow."

"If the person who gave you the news didn't lie, you should know who I am, and you should also know who the person I just mentioned is."

"..." After a brief silence, Yoshiko Oshima looked at him and asked: "My father... he...?"

Perhaps intimidated by Li Xuewu's current aura, she tried hard to restrain her inner tension and fear and asked: "Is he still alive?"

"Didn't the person who gave you the news say?"

Li Xuewu certainly wouldn't miss any opportunity for counter-reconnaissance, and laughed lightly: "Don't tell me you don't know what profession your father was engaged in on the mainland."

"Since you can find me and painstakingly mixed into the hotel to approach me, you must have something to say."

He picked up the cup of water Yoshiko Oshima poured and put it to his lips to "take a sip," but his peripheral vision was observing the other party's expression.

Yoshiko Oshima was indeed looking at him, but it was impossible to determine if she had done anything to the hot water just now.

"Before... I didn't even know he was still alive."

Under Li Xuewu's signal, she moved her steps to the sofa and sat opposite Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu nodded slightly, not knowing whether he believed it or not, his gaze unscrupulously sized her up, as if he didn't care at all.

"Have you been to China?" Seeing Yoshiko Oshima fall silent, he took the initiative to find a topic and asked: "How old are you this year? What do you do for work?"

"I was born in China." Yoshiko Oshima looked at him and said: "In Shanghai, I was only three years old when I returned to Japan."

"Then you must be twenty-nine? Thirty this year?" Li Xuewu sized her up again and compared it with his own guess.

"I returned to Japan with my mother in 1949."

Yoshiko Oshima seemed to subconsciously resist Li Xuewu raising her age, glanced at him, and couldn't help but emphasize: "Twenty-five years old."

"Oh—" From this answer, Li Xuewu already knew the background under which she and her mother returned to Japan.

Because in that era, regardless of the time period, there was a north and south, and the situations of these people sent back to Japan were all different.

"It seems your childhood experienced many difficulties," he further probed: "Is your mother still alive?"

"Yes, she is in Osaka," Oshima Yoshiko lowered her head and whispered: "After she brought me and my brothers back, she married an Osaka businessman."

If you ask which region in Japan had the highest survival rate for men in that era, it would be Osaka; it is a region with a very strange atmosphere.

Let's just say, from the perspective of the Chinese, that is a group of things that can be considered to have a little conscience, but they are not good things either.

The reason why they didn't put in effort on the battlefield was not out of kindness and justice, but purely out of fear of death and fatigue.

This group of guys upheld the true colors of their hometown where even a dog could do business, and they could even engage in the logic of businessmen on the battlefield, which can be called a world-class wonder.

They even dared to do business with the enemy, took the initiative to negotiate and divide boundaries, and even shamelessly fled the battle.

One rat dropping ruined a pot of soup, and precisely this rat dropping was particularly good at surviving, so much so that it became the regional group with the most people alive returning to the mainland.

There is an old Chinese saying that it is better to live miserably than to die well, which truly interprets the nature of these people.

Being alive is really more important than anything else, even including possessing wealth and the widows of comrades-in-arms; they became the intermediate force for Japan's recovery and economic construction of that generation.

Li Xuewu possessed enough information to reshape her life of the past twenty-plus years from just her few words.

"So, are you here to avenge your father?"

Li Xuewu asked calmly: "Do you still remember what he looked like? Or does he have any channels to contact you?"

Yoshiko Oshima raised her head to look at him and said: "My mother wrote to me, saying that my father's pension had been cut off."

It can be seen that she had already realized that Li Xuewu was examining her past, and even deliberately setting traps in his words.

However, this initiative and calmness also kept the atmosphere in the room from being too tense, only Qi Yan was still staring at her.

"She always knew your father was still alive, right?" Li Xuewu smiled and said: "Have they always been in contact?"

"I don't know, I only know that the Osaka businessman is my stepfather."

Yoshiko Oshima shook her head slightly and explained: "And my mother could receive a pension every month."

"Before, I never noticed who was sending this money to her, nor did I think about why only our family could obtain this guarantee."

In that era, how could they, who had already been defeated, have such a thing as a pension? Being able to survive was already an honor.

So mentioning this is strange enough, and naturally, one can associate where this money came from.

It must be said that in that era, that side was still considered trustworthy, and had always been giving subsidies to the family of Hu Zhengquan, which is Oshima Gongyi.

The other party of course wanted to try their best to cover up the fact of Oshima Gongyi's existence, which would inevitably change the nature of this money.

Subsidies of course couldn't be called subsidies, only pensions.

But Li Xuewu was already able to be certain that Oshima Yoshiko's mother absolutely knew the fact that Oshima Gongyi was still alive at that time.

It could even be said that her taking the children and marrying someone else could be part of covering up the identity.

If you ask how Oshima Gongyi could tolerate himself fighting on the hidden front while his lover gave him a green hat?

This is nothing; he even prepared for the possibility of not being able to return home, just hoping that his wife could raise the children well.

As for what his wife would do and how she would choose, he was prepared long ago.

Rather than believing his wife would remain chaste, it was better to make a decisive decision, which instead allowed him to better lurk in the country.

Being able to accept that kind of mission, his character must be sufficiently patient; just look at how he could lurk in the steel rolling plant for so many years.

If it weren't for Li Xuewu "meddling in other people's business," it really wouldn't be certain that anyone would have discovered him after so many years.

Perhaps many years later, he would still have the opportunity to return to his hometown through regular channels and become a superior person.

It's a pity; he became a stepping stone for Li Xuewu's rise, becoming famous in one fell swoop.

Think about it, Li Xuewu returned from the south and started working in the factory, only taking down an insignificant Wang Jindong; how could he rise to the top?

It was ultimately Oshima Gongyi's case that brought his name into the sight of certain people, and the gears of fate changed.

So in a sense, Li Xuewu should also thank Oshima Gongyi for sacrificing his life, giving him the opportunity to progress.

Of course, he wouldn't pity Yoshiko Oshima, and he wouldn't feel any guilt for the difficult life she led after losing her father at a young age.

Because he is not qualified to forgive and pity them on behalf of those compatriots who lost their lives because of this dirty war.

At least Yoshiko Oshima returned, and is still alive, isn't she?

Perhaps it was the indifferent attitude he vaguely displayed that made Yoshiko Oshima not dare to have any radical actions.

"They didn't fulfill their promise."

Li Xuewu seemed to still have some interest in teasing the group of people opposite him, the smile at the corner of his mouth saying vaguely: "The set of 'when the person leaves, the tea gets cold' can be considered to have been played thoroughly by them."

"So, who found you again and told you about my situation?"

He didn't want to go in circles anymore and asked bluntly: "Is it those stray dogs or that brute Kenichi Nishida?"

Yoshiko Oshima seemed a bit surprised by the sudden sharpness in his tone, and after a slight pause, she explained: "It should be the Mr. Nishida you mentioned."

"Hmm, I think it should be him too."

Li Xuewu nodded slowly and said: "He is not honest, nor is he reconciled. It seems I didn't beat him hard enough last time."

Yoshiko Oshima was stunned again, sizing him up, not knowing if he was speaking the truth or just bragging.

"Alright, if you have nothing else to say, then tonight's conversation ends here." Li Xuewu raised his wrist to check the time and said: "I'm very happy to see you; this can also be considered a kind of fate."

"He is already dead, right?" Yoshiko Oshima seemed a bit stubborn in wanting to confirm her father's situation, looking at him and asking: "Is it... you...?"

"Yes, I arrested him."

Li Xuewu nodded very frankly and said: "He confessed to the facts of the crimes he committed and has received the punishment he deserved."

"If you resent me because of this, that is entirely your freedom, but this is all I can explain to you."

"So he—" Seeing him stand up, Yoshiko Oshima also stood up and pursued: "Did he mention me and my brothers?"

"Is this very important to you?"

Li Xuewu glanced at her and asked: "Does he have a great influence in your life?"

Another probe, completely distrusting her; he only believes in his own judgment for every word she says now.

"That is my father after all."

Yoshiko Oshima covered her face with both hands, fell helplessly onto the sofa, and sobbed: "I really hope he could come back, come back early."

"He originally had the opportunity to come back early," Li Xuewu said indifferently: "It was he who gave up this opportunity and helped the tyrant do evil."

"Woo—" Yoshiko Oshima cried. Qi Yan frowned slightly and looked at him, wanting to ask for instructions on whether to call someone over.

Li Xuewu shook his head slightly, looking at the girl wearing the waitress uniform. From the observation just now, he could judge that Yoshiko Oshima's life now is very good.

Not just her mental state, but even from the details, her fingernails and the position of her nail grooves, there are no traces of physical labor.

People who often do physical labor only need to look at their hands to find calluses and wounds everywhere; that is the hardship of long years.

Instead, those engaged in mental labor or the service industry have hands that don't experience wind and frost, which is how they can maintain a clean and tidy state.

To be more direct, although Japan in this era is already very developed, there are poor people everywhere in the world.

"How much does it cost to rent this car for a week?"

The car was, of course, rented; couldn't be bought; they didn't plan to stay here permanently, so where would they buy such an expensive car.

Even if the International Business Department was about to establish an office in Japan, no group leader would come here in three years; where would they use this car.

If it was just Huang Zongfang using it, she really dared to take the rental ticket for this car to reimburse; Jing Yunong would dare to reimburse her.

Renting this car this time was to prepare for the subsequent negotiations; in the process of rapid economic development, people would just stare at cars.

That is to say, how you came in this era is very important; is it a Mercedes-Benz or a Mazda that is often stuck in traffic—it's different.

"Sit, everyone sit."

Li Xuewu walked into the conference room, first looked at them one by one, then nodded slowly, and asked with a smile, "Are you all full?"

"Hahaha—" A burst of laughter sounded at the scene.

Even if many people went to Hong Kong from the mainland to work, they were all used to a relatively free and relaxed working atmosphere.

His joke could be considered appropriate, so everyone laughed knowingly.

"Why didn't I ask if everyone is tired?" Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Because no need to ask; I'm tired, can you not be tired."

After this sentence was finished, the smiles on the faces of the people in the conference room were gradually moved by his sincerity, revealing an unexpected look.

Some people had seen him, or rather understood his work style, so they weren't surprised, but the group had developed for several years, and those old people who truly understood him were scattered in various places.

Now in the conference room, many people had only heard his legends, and couldn't be considered to have a deep understanding of him.

But one thing is certain: this Secretary-General is different from other leaders, at least he didn't start by talking officialese.

"Tired, but no way; tired, but still have to do it."

Li Xuewu also smiled helplessly and said, "I also want to eat as soon as I come back, and sleep after eating dinner."

"But thinking that everyone worked just as hard for a whole day, and even more tired than me, yet still persisted in sitting here."

He looked at the people in the venue seriously and said, "I knew that I must come today, and must listen to your opinions."

"Because we are a team, I have the obligation to listen to everyone's opinions, so please don't be stingy today, and speak freely."

Li Xuewu also signaled Huang Zongfang who was sitting beside him and said, "I also told your President Huang on the way here that you must take good care of everyone in life."

He looked at Huang Zongfang, and then said to everyone, "Forgot to ask just now; is everyone living okay? Is the food okay?"

"Hahaha—" The atmosphere in the venue relaxed again.

Just pulling like this—relaxed—serious—relaxed; he only used a few sentences to gather everyone's attention and thoughts; Huang Zongfang saw it with her own eyes and was truly impressed.

To tell the truth, she was more than ten years older than Li Xuewu, but in front of Li Xuewu, she could still feel the pressure.

This isn't saying it's mysterious; she would also be serious when facing other leaders of the group, and even nervous to the point of tension.

But only in front of Li Xuewu, what she was nervous about wasn't just the other party's attitude, but also the other party's professionalism.

When she went to the Plaza Hotel to pick up Li Xuewu, she had already greeted this side in advance, emphasizing that the leader coming tonight had relatively strong professionalism.

The meaning of doing so was that everyone shouldn't talk nonsense at tonight's meeting; if the Secretary-General really said something wrong, then they should wait to be laughed at.

So as soon as Li Xuewu entered the room, he discovered that the eyes of everyone in the venue looking at him carried some caution and seriousness, to the point that the venue was a bit serious.

After the atmosphere eased, he nodded slowly and said, "Since it's an office meeting, then let's start from reality and not play fake."

"Strolled for a whole day today; I believe everyone has seen that Japan's industrial miracle is concentrated in the five major fields of steel, automobiles, electronics, precision machinery, and chemical materials."

Seeing him start to speak, everyone picked up their fountain pens and started taking notes; even those who didn't want to take notes would mean it.

Mainly listening to him speak, setting the tone and direction for tonight's meeting.

There were more than forty people sitting here tonight; not all of them went to the research site, and there were also those who provided technical and information support.

Moreover, those who went to the site were also wheel battles; Li Xuewu and the others finished visiting one enterprise, and there would be two or three team members to communicate and understand further with the enterprise.

Then to the next place, there was another group of members following up.

Li Xuewu and the others visited twelve enterprises, corresponding to six small groups, each group responsible for two enterprises.

Just before the meeting started, each small group summarized the information collected today, and then gave opinions and references.

Of course, these were relatively superficial, and were to be compared and summarized with the information they had collected in the first half month.

The expert team arrived more than half a month earlier than Li Xuewu and the others, just to provide preparation and support for Li Xuewu to make decisions.

Now whatever information Li Xuewu wanted, they could give opinions, so they could quickly promote the meeting agenda.

"Very coincidentally, everyone knows that the five fields I just mentioned, our Red Steel Group has all been involved in."

He nodded slowly and said, "We have metallurgical plants, steel rolling plants, Steel Auto, Steel Electric, Fengcheng Machinery, and the invested chemical industrial park."

"Different from other enterprises staring at one field, we absolutely didn't come to cast a wide net this time, but to be more professional than professional."

Li Xuewu's voice gradually increased, his finger pointing at the conference table and emphasizing, "I say it like this now: this time Red Steel must get the best technology and the best equipment under the best conditions, because we are the best enterprise."

The atmosphere had already been baked to this point, and everyone's spirit had been mobilized; of course, whatever he said was what it was.

"The Secretary-General means that since we came once, we must scoop a big one." Huang Zongfang took a sentence, and explained to Li Xuewu, "In order to carry out work in a targeted manner, I divided several small groups within the team."

"Among them, the five groups of business correspond to the five fields you just mentioned."

"Good, very good." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Each small group specializes in one direction; this is very powerful."

"I want to emphasize one sentence: scooping a big one is scooping a big piece of gold, not scooping a big piece of sand."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "If you grabbed a handful of sand, it's not as good as pinching a grain of gold."

The corners of everyone's mouths raised slightly; they had already understood the leader's meaning.

Take the automotive industry, for example; Japan's big three are Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, etc.; the big three automotive manufacturing enterprises have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Toyota Motor's comprehensive strength is first in Japan, ranking third in the world; this year's main models are Corolla, Crown, Land Cruiser, with an annual production of over 2 million vehicles, and the most exported are North America and Southeast Asia.

Nissan Motor is the representative of Japan's technical school; main models are Bluebird, Skyline, Datsun pickup, known for engine technology and durability.

Honda Motor can be said to be strong in both motorcycles and sedans; this year they launched the predecessor of Civic, which is the S600 sports car; motorcycles rank first in the global market share.

In the country, the Red Steel Group can blow bull, saying Steel Auto produces hundreds of thousands of cars a year, exporting one or two hundred thousand.

But in front of Toyota and Honda, Steel Auto is still a little brother in kindergarten, whether it is annual production capacity or export volume, it is far behind Japan's big three.

Even Honda, which currently has the third comprehensive strength, Steel Auto can't compare.

At least it can be judged from the sales volume; Red Steel's motorcycles don't sell as well as Honda's.

If it weren't for the cheap price, sturdy and durable, standing firm in Southeast Asia and Africa, there wouldn't be such a bull sales volume.

Looking at this sales volume in the country counts as the ceiling, but abroad, especially in front of Honda, Li Xuewu was holding a breath of anger when speaking.

Everyone's face was very serious; Red Steel's Steel Auto encountered the strongest opponent in the world as soon as it appeared.

You let a child in kindergarten compare math with a college student—isn't this bullying people.

If you don't have the ability, you have to learn; even if you are holding anger in your heart, you have to emphasize being humble and cautious, and being optimistic and eager to learn.

He couldn't knock everyone's confidence away with one pole, but he couldn't let them bend their waists and completely surrender to this kind of technical strength.

As long as it is technology, there will be a day when it is outdated; as long as it is technology, there will be a day when it is caught up.

Li Xuewu, of course, has confidence, because he knows that the country's automotive industry will one day use ten years to make the whole world drop its jaw.

It can even force Japan's automotive industry to retreat repeatedly, and even voluntarily abandon the domestic market, as well as the market that can compete internationally.

Some people in later generations always say that Japanese cars sell very well in the United States, showing how good the quality is.

Actually, he doesn't know that the United States restricted the country's electric vehicles from entering the market, so it gave the godson a chance to retain the market.

Change the perspective to look at Europe; those old-brand automotive enterprises that were beaten by electric vehicles are all starting to change houses.

You grab my market, I go to your home!

The main theme is the routine of joining if you can't beat them; German industry is almost being done into Taicang industry.

With this confidence, what Li Xuewu needs to do is to pull the timeline forward as much as possible, as much as he can.

"Leader, to tell the truth, I really envy them a bit."

Meeting until past ten o'clock at night, everyone's enthusiasm for speaking was still high; Huang Bingsheng, an engineer from the Mechanical Research Institute of the Research Institute, said somewhat excitedly: "I went to Yamazaki Mazak last week and looked at their machine tools."

"Not talking about CNC machine tools, just talking about ordinary machine tools."

He said with some emotion: "They made an adaptive control lathe this year, which can already be considered a top product among CNC lathes."

"Although we also have CNC lathes, whether it is from processing precision or technology, there is a certain gap."

"Mazak, right?" Li Xuewu made a record in his notebook, asking while writing: "What directions do you think we can introduce from them, technology or equipment."

"Their main business is CNC lathes and machining centers and precision machine tools; ordinary machine tools have been completely eliminated."

Huang Bingsheng introduced: "You might not know, they think ordinary machine tools have lost their competitiveness and don't have the necessity for reproduction."

"But you have to know, the best machine tools in the country can't compare to the products they have already eliminated; this is the regrettable place for me."

"The gap is big, right; I can understand."

Li Xuewu stopped the fountain pen in his hand and looked at him, nodding and saying: "When I went to East Germany, I also had this kind of feeling."